Indian Culture portal revamp adds AI chatbot, curated sections, and virtual heritage tours

The Ministry of Culture has relaunched the Indian Culture portal with curated knowledge sections, an AI-powered chatbot, and virtual walkthroughs of historic sites. Secretary Vivek Aggarwal introduced the upgraded platform, designed to improve speed, reliability, and scalability. The portal continues to bring together digital resources from museums, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions across India.

The Culture ministry has released an upgraded version of the Indian Culture portal. The redesigned site adds curated knowledge sections and an AI chatbot for easier use. Users can also take virtual tours of several historic sites. The ministry said the changes aimed to improve access to India’s wide cultural heritage online.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said Secretary Vivek Aggarwal launched the revamped portal. The ministry said the upgrade was a major technology change. It was intended to offer smoother access to cultural material. The portal brings together digital collections from museums, libraries, archives, and cultural institutions across India.

Indian Culture portal upgrade adds AI chatbot and language support

A key addition is an AI-powered chatbot -- Bharti. The ministry said it helps users move through the portal and find content. It can answer questions, summarise cultural material, and point users to relevant resources. The chatbot connects with the Government of India’s Bhashini platform for replies in 22 Indian languages.

The upgraded portal also includes an advanced multilevel global search tool. The ministry said it offers full-text search with smart metadata filters. It also supports faceted navigation to narrow results faster. These tools are meant to help users locate cultural resources more efficiently across the unified platform.

Indian Culture portal upgrade shifts to new architecture and PWA access

The portal first went live in December 2019. It was created to widen access to knowledge on India’s traditions, history, literature, arts, and heritage. The ministry said higher traffic and new user needs drove the overhaul. The updated build was designed to be faster, more scalable, and simpler to use.

The ministry said the new system replaces an older monolithic setup. It is meant to cut loading times and improve responsiveness. The ministry also said it should remain reliable during heavy traffic. The platform uses modern technologies and is intended to support millions of users and future digital services.

The portal now works as a Progressive Web App PWA. The ministry said users can install and use it across devices. It is designed to feel like an app without app store downloads. The PWA is intended to run smoothly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Indian Culture portal upgrade expands curated categories and virtual tours

Along with core content, the portal adds immersive digital experiences. Users can access 3D walkthroughs and 360-degree virtual tours of many heritage monuments. The ministry said this allows online visits to architectural and historical landmarks. These features are part of efforts to support digital exploration of cultural sites.

The portal includes 46 curated cultural categories with expanded knowledge resources. It also adds new original sections such as -- Iconic Battles of India, Folktales of India, Healing Through the Ages, Legendary Figures of India, Classical Dances of India. The ministry said these were designed to help students, researchers, educators, and citizens.

To make learning more engaging, the portal also offers interactive activities. The ministry said these include cultural games, quizzes, puzzles, and crosswords. The tools were designed for users across age groups. The ministry said the additions were meant to support discovery and learning on Indian heritage through participation.

With inputs from PTI